International figure skater gets back on the ice with specialized rehabilitation support after kneecap fracture
Eugenia Garza is used to competing on the world stage. But, when the world-class figure skater fractured her kneecap in Switzerland, she came home to Minnesota for care.
Nineteen-year-old Garza, a lifelong figure skater and current student at the University of Minnesota, practices and competes with the Mexican National Team. After her injury in July 2022, Garza’s coach referred her to Suzanne Hecht, MD, a sports medicine physician with M Health Fairview and a team physician for U.S. Figure Skating. Hecht also serves as an associate professor at University of Minnesota Medical School.
Garza partnered with Hecht and physical therapist Hanwen Wong, PT, at the M Health Fairview Clinics and Surgery Center – Minneapolis on a specialized plan to safely return to competitive figure skating.
“I’d never had an injury like this that completely took me off the ice,” said Garza. “I put all my trust in Hanwen and Dr. Hecht, and they did a great job helping me return to competition.”
Maintaining strength after injury
Hecht and Wong both have extensive experience competing in sports and treating fellow athletes. They share a background in dance, and Hecht has also coached and judged gymnastics competitions. In addition to her clinic and academic roles, Hecht is a team physician for the University of Minnesota Gophers, including the Gymnastics team.
Fifteen years ago, she became a team physician for U.S. Figure Skating.
“I’ve always loved figure skating, because it has a lot of parallels to gymnastics and dance,” said Hecht. “I have years of experience treating dancers, gymnasts, and figure skaters.”
When working with figure skaters, Hecht says one of the main considerations is the unforgiving nature of the ice. It was the ice that fractured Garza’s patella, or kneecap, during an awkward fall in Switzerland and one of the main challenges now would be getting her back to once again landing jumps on ice.
Hecht put Garza’s leg in a brace that limited her range of motion and gave her fracture time to heal. Hecht then referred Garza to Wong, who helped guide Garza in safely resuming daily activities and keeping her muscles strong for a return to competition.
“I saw Eugenia for the first time in August. The notes said she was a high-level figure skater; I was excited because I grew up dancing and have experience working with other performing arts athletes such as dancers and gymnasts,” said Wong. “When I first saw her, she was still in a brace and had just started increasing her knee’s range of motion. Our first goal was to get her back to daily activity, and to help her maintain as much strength as possible.”
Wong also made sure Garza knew her restrictions and worked with Hecht to monitor Garza’s injury and gradually increase her activity in the months after her fall. As she was returning to activities like going down a flight of stairs or walking to class, Wong worked with Garza on strengthening exercises that targeted the muscles she would need to return to skating.
“My role was to bridge the gap from resuming daily activities to preparing for a return to competitive figure skating – and strengthening was the key,” said Wong. “Eugenia was able to help me. I would ask her questions about how she landed jumps or how she went into spins on the ice, and we worked together on a program to restrengthen those muscles after her injury and recovery period.”
Strengthening also helped relieve some of Garza’s pain after injury. “She was having pain when using her quadricep muscle because it pulls right on the kneecap. We worked together to find strengthening exercises that didn’t cause pain,” said Wong.
Holistic care for sports injuries
The fact that both Wong and Hecht work at the M Health Fairview Clinics and Surgery Center – Minneapolis helped them collaborate closely on Garza’s care.
“There were times when I would run downstairs to ask Dr. Hecht’s team a question – it gave Eugenia confidence in her team, knowing that we were all working together,” said Wong. “I cannot express enough how lucky I feel to work with providers like Dr. Hecht who are incredibly collaborative and supportive.”
We have a multidisciplinary care team at our Clinics and Surgery Center, including sports medicine, physical therapy, orthopedic surgery, musculoskeletal radiologists, athletic trainers, nutritionists, and sports psychologists. Fortunately, Garza’s fracture could be treated without surgery, but surgeons were right next door to consult on the best course of treatment. Being close to the university, the team also has experience caring for many college athletes.
“If I have questions, I can consult with the surgeons. If we need additional imaging, I can talk to our radiologists and get that done on-site,” said Hecht. “Timeliness is very important in athletics and sometimes in treatment there are different considerations for high-level athletes. Our team works well together and has the experience to address those specific concerns.”
Back on the ice
Garza was able to return to competition in January at the FISU World University Games, six months after her initial injury.
“It was scary because I didn’t have a full season behind me, and it was a big event,” said Garza, “but I wasn’t worried about reinjuring my knee. I felt confident in my knee and legs, they were back to 100%, and it was nice to be back on competition ice.”
Now, Garza is in the off-season and is training hard preparing for the Mexican Open International in May 2023. Competing at a high level on an unforgiving surface, Garza has had a few minor injuries since January, tweaking her back and ankle. When she needs medical care, she returns to the Clinics and Surgery Center to see Hecht and Wong.
At school, Garza is also pursuing a degree in kinesiology, studying physical activity and movement, inspired by the physical therapists she’s worked with as an athlete.
Call 612-672-7100 to make an appointment with our sports medicine team.
